


Paper planes to the Wind

by Madame_Samovar



Category: Fate: The Winx Saga (TV)
Genre: F/F, spoilers if you haven't seen the whole first season: first do watch it till the end.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-22 10:47:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30037521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madame_Samovar/pseuds/Madame_Samovar
Summary: "Rosalind was back, and if for now it seemed that she was content trying to get chummy with Bloom, twisting the poor child’s identity to her advantage, the three of them knew.They knew as Rosalind had returned that the game was afoot and that somehow, without exactly knowing to which extent, they were being blindsided.So it was hightime that they changed tactics and made a bold move.And so Saul Silva let the stained paper plane set off into the Wind."Or how we do not accept the end of that marvelous first season, bring an original character I created for "Her Cousin" to the equation (no link with that fic though), and right some wrongs.
Relationships: Farah Dowling/Original Character(s), Farah Dowling/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have no beta so be kind and sweetly message me if you find some mistakes. ;) Hope you will enjoy it ! <3

_My_ _breezy_ _friend,_

_It has been too long and one hopes that this letter will find you in a better shape than last time we parted._

_Much has changed and I’m afraid it is not to convey a warm embrace that my words seek you._

_I lack time for proper explanations,_ _besides_ _I have great causes to be wary of what_ _could_ _be intercepted._

_Rosalind is back at Alf_ _e_ _a, burn_ _ed_ _-ones are_ _hunting in packs around the school_ _and the government has withdraw_ _n_ _its_ _protection_ _._

_A_ _s you always say « Something is about to unfurl. ». I have no idea of what it is, only that I have a bad feeling about it._

_Battles shared made us blood, made us kin, so for old times’ sake, I urge you to depart for Alfea._

_Be cautious and heed my advice when I say to trust no one._

_Be_ _safe_ _, be swift in the East_

_Yours,_  
  
Willow

Once the ink dried, Silva folded the letter. With shaky hands, he opened the widow of Farah’s office and let the stained paper plane set off into the Wind.

It must have looked absolutely bonkers, a message thrown to nowhere in the midst of all the threats they faced, though if his friends thought so they had the good grace to suspend their judgment in trust.

Rosalind was back, and if for now it seemed that she was content trying to get chummy with Bloom, twisting the poor child’s identity to her advantage, the three of them knew.

They knew as Rosalind had returned that the game was afoot and that somehow, without exactly knowing to which extent, they were being blindsided.

So it was hightime that they changed tactics and made a bold move.

Farah, Ben and Saul had too many responsabilities and too much trust in one another to ask for help outside of their own team. It made them predictable. It costed Silva greatly to admit he needed help, besides admitting he was being outplayed by what would come to get them soon. And that was exactly the point.

Their warrior charisma pushed them too often to think to vainquish or die together. It was a dangerous weakness on a strategic plan. And Rosalind was very well aware of it. That was why her next move was probably going to be a way to trap each one of them without confrontation. It had most certainly already been triggered. Nip the fight in the bud, dismantle their union, and assert dominance in the absence of a strong leadership.

Planning ahead of a defeat, they decided that to conceive a future failure was their best chance to turn the tide. They were to get another chess piece on that board, an extra piece, one that would move on its own, at a later time.

The mysterious friend of Saul Silva was that last trick up their sleeve.

They watched the puny paper plane being tossed around in the grey weather.

It will have to be enough.


	2. Hide-and-seek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saul is detained in the middle of nowhere.
> 
> Nowhere is a good place to be found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short update, still no beta, hope you will like it! Thank you so much for the kuddos!! <3

There had been no food and very little water for few days. The ground was damp and the cold seeped in through the ancient walls of the prison.

Fake interrogatory after fake interrogatory for the sake of fictitious justice, his mind being prodded for intel, and occasional beatings from his former best-friend had been how time had passed here.

Saul Silva was weary of being alive as it was. Yet his weariness was overcome with the dread of what had happened to the ones he couldn’t see anymore. What happened to Sky ? Was there any safety possible around Rosalind ? With a violent father returned ? Luckily Andreas seemed far more interested by revenge than by any attempt at parental duties. For now.

What about Ben ? Farah ? The students?

How many days had he really spent here ?

He tugged at the chains around his arms. It had cut him deeply around the wrists, no doubt a payback from Beatrix.

Lost in his thoughts it took him long moments to pick up the howl through the trees outside.

Time as uncertain as it was, the weather on another hand had been crisp … although oddly still since he had arrived.

The location where he had been taken remained unknown to him, however he guessed quite accurately that it must have been some removed (and conveniently forgotten) lockup.

Potentially not on a sunny island, a shame.

If they survived this war he would ask Sky to travel with him, take a holiday, stress-free time in the sun, if only to shut up Farah mocking him on his ever pale complexion. They could come too, Farah and Ben. They were always doing everything together. Ben and his bald head would definitely have to wear a solid hat. Yes he will do that, the boy will most certainly find that awkward but hopefully grasp the clumsy invitation for a father/son official bonding time.

There he sat, face tumid, bones frozen, thinking about his friend’s bald head in a ridiculous hat. He laughed alone in the cell, lips cracking slightly, at both the image and the reality of his hallucination through his food deprived mind.

Yes Andreas was not Sky’s heroically fallen father, no, he was a dangerous blood thirsty man with an even nastier agenda. Saul Silva could not simply step down from his role of father-figure for that. He could not and he won’t.

The howl grew louder.

It was as if the gusts circled the hold, once South, then North, searching, to finally howl one last time closer, in the East. It brought scents of rain, blue spruce, and sweet basil to the room.

There, hallucinations again, after sun hats (would Terra grow a flower to pin it to it? Of course she would, Ben’s children were sweet kids.) he was interpreting the weather.   
Only a few days of incarceration and I get batty. Sky was right, I’m getting old. - he thought bitterly.

Then everything went strangely silent. The guards outside the door didn’t seem to sense the difference in the atmosphere. But for Silva that had spent a large part of his days in said silence of this room and its surrounding, the change was noticeable.

A light breeze caressed his brooding face. And before he could register the familiarity of the touch, the tail of a blue trench coat materialized in front of him.

In a whirl, piece by piece, appeared a silhouette, until known mismatched coloured eyes stared right back at him.

His message had reached his friend, Vesta had come.

“You should know by now that I always win at hide-and-seek.” she said in an admonishing tone clipped with a French accent. Then she kissed his cheek sweetly.

It warmed as if hot of a sunny morning.

  
“You look dreadful Willow, let’s patch you up my love.” she announced before embracing him forcefully.

His wounded ribs protested at the gesture… but then all pain seemed to slip away, spring nesting pleasantly inside his chest.  
  


Without waiting for an answer, in a blink of an eye, they melted into thin air, leaving shackles to clatter emptily on the floor.


	3. Three adults in a bathroom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vesta and Silva ask for help, news are exchanged, friends are reunited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still no beta and exhausted but wanted to update the story tonight, hope you will like it ! <3

If Ben Harvey had anything specific in mind when he exited the shower that night, his hips draped in a flowery towel (yes sometimes cliché are true), it probably wouldn’t have been the sight of his friend Saul Silva perilously perched on the closed toilet seat.

Gosh he looked awful, thrown like a feverish rag-doll on the white porcelain.

\- Saul?? What… - A hand covered firmly his mouth for an instant.

\- My apologies Mr Harvey, but as you have already guessed we are to remain as discreet as possible.

Ben nearly jumped out of his skin finally noticing the woman. Reflexively clutching his towel tighter, he observed her. In a better shape than Saul, her posture against the wall showed she was barely standing too. Her bowl haircut was messy and her coat dirty with mud. A long travel then.  
  
Goodness he was beyond grateful for that towel.

-What happened to you? What are you doing here? He whispered furiously while clapping his wet feet on the tiles to check the man’s pulse.

Saul grabbed his arm and said half conscious

\- The paper plane…

Ah, yes, the paper plane.

\- You’re Saul’s mysterious friend. Harvey concluded while forgetting his current state of undress to apply some cold water to Silva’s face with a cloth.

She smiled tiredly, her full lips stretching lazily.

-Yes that would be me. Mr Harvey…

\- Ben.

She nodded.

\- Vesta, a pleasure, all of this aside.

Ben smiled in return, but then he thought about the new regime at Alfea, where this tiny bathroom crowded by 3 adults was located.

\- The Barrier! You shouldn’t be here! It must have been triggered by your arrival, it’s only a matter of time before…

What about Terra and Sam? He could seal the front door to buy them time. Yes he could do that. Just as he was ready to bolt out half naked to protect his children, the hand came back to steady him.

\- It won’t. We didn’t walk through your Barrier. Willow… Saul, had reasons to believe that your school wouldn’t be a sanctuary for him anymore.

\- Flew… with the Wind… Tried Silva in a groan.

\- He is in need of medical care. Said Ben anxiously holding the man up.

\- We both are. - She swallowed heavily, her head slightly lolling backward.- The energy to trace him and our transportation proved to be more taxing than expected. He couldn’t think of a better place to be taken care of and I am in need of rest. Could you provide us with a shelter for tonight? I will see to a proper safe house, that won’t compromise you or your family, tomorrow. For now… there is little else I’m be able to do.

\- Farah? Where is Farah? Articulated Saul, his face full of anguish for the answer to come.

Ben remained silent for a long time. He tried very hard to be open and to talk about pretty much everything with his children, his students and his friends. Gender, racism, sexuality, war, you name it. He would find a way to talk about every difficult subject. But Farah Dowling had become the one subject he couldn’t wrap his logical mind around. Nor could his mouth admit what might have happened. No. The violent silence was all the last days had given him when he thought about his friends. Saul was standing before him, yet he sensed that if Farah wasn’t sharing with them this secret meeting in a bathroom… Nothing could detain Farah. Only... No he couldn’t.

When the steam of the warm water had settled, Ben hoped that few words would be enough for them, for he didn’t know where to find the strength…

\- I do not know Saul. She is missing.

He said the last part looking at his friend, the understanding of what “missing” would mean for such a force of nature as Farah Dowling.

Vesta must have sensed Silva’s distress skyrocketing for she stepped next to him, sharing balance.

\- Come now, I must tend to your wounds, and you must rest.

Both of them turned around to allow Ben some privacy while he dressed.

They followed him, tiptoeing in the corridor, three grown-ups, one in fancy pyjamas, the second in a dramatic blue and muddy trench coat, the last one broken and famished.

What a strange flock they made.

As wounds were healed in a hushed atmosphere and makeshift beds arranged, their minds converged to the same place, to the same heart.

What was to happen tomorrow was to happen together.

And together they were to find the strength and fill the silence.


	4. News from the Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick chapter about Farah, yes we are going to rescue her darlings, we are!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A merry Ostara to you all !!
> 
> Thank you so much for your support <3 !!
> 
> No beta as usual!

_She could feel the tender hold of the ground._

_It shared the softness of the moss in the spring, yes, she was snug and cosy here._

_It had been cool as skin had met earth, but then, as parents that tend to the child of others, it had taken a new charge and its embrace had warmed._

_Her bed was solid but her mind was adrift, unable to anchor its potency in a single thought._

_She couldn’t remember how she fell asleep._

_She couldn’t find where “here” was._

_But somehow, just like seasons were mysteriously known by the silent seeds in their coat, by the dormant flowers in their bud, by the sap in the waking trees, she felt that it was not time yet._

_She was really snug, here, in the belly of the Earth. She would sleep some more._

_Waiting for the season._


	5. Summit meeting at breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summit meeting at breakfast, plans are made to find Farah.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in a day: my my the elusive writer is challenging herself!
> 
> Tell me if you liked it! Trying hard to make you smile in those awful times!
> 
> Thank you for the kuddos!! <3 
> 
> Stiiiill no beta !
> 
> Lots of love and flowers for the spring!

\- What do you mean Farah Dowling took a bloody sabbatical?

It was the 9th hour past midnight that stretched its surrealism between a Ben Harvey and its matching fancy dressing gown/fancy pyjama; a Saul Silva knocking forcefully on the table his hot chocolate in a “Proudest Daddy” cup; a Vesta Halcyon (very naked if not wrapped in a fluffy blanket) busy shoving an impressive amount of brioche in her mouth; and two groggy teenagers.

Ben had made the decision to give his children an update on the secret (and quite odd) visit they were paid, so he wouldn’t have to lie to Terra again (last time didn’t go that well, he remembered painfully) and bonuses of bonuses it allowed him to officially prepare them with an emergency-ready-to-leave bag+stern instructions just in case things turned really sour.

So the lot of them having breakfast together was a simple affair. But definitely a peculiar sight.

\- Yes, anyone who knows Farah would find that ludicrous. However when Rosalind, now officially headmistress of Alfea and on Queen Luna’s good side, announces that Headmistress Dowling went to ski in the Alps, indefinitely, you don’t dwell on the subject.

\- She said what? And no one questioned that? Silva was now practically shouting.

Well at least if Mr Silva was giving so much voice this morning, it meant he was slowing recovering, though he was usually more level-headed.

\- Oh do calm down Willow, it’s breakfast, we are not in an auction house. Snapped Vesta, her mouth miraculously empty at that time.

Ben’s daughter nodded her head in a silent “hear, hear”, while still struggling to butter her crispbread, first coffee not down yet.

\- I have children Saul, what was I supposed to do? And the students? You and Farah were gone! Retorted Ben agitating his teaspoon in front of him.

Terra seldom heard her own dad being anything else but congenial, so at that answer she cracked another crispbread. While Sam paused from wrestling the milk bottle.

Saul was about to say something but was too slow.

\- YOU-TWO-PUT-A-SOCK-IN- IT. Hissed Vesta.

Silence around the table.

The woman grabbed the milk bottle, opened it with a satisfying ‘pop, and poured a glass for Sam. Then she snatched the knife and crispbread, starting to butter it. She threatened while spreading yellow on the toasts with a deadly precision:

\- I will have no infighting in this family. If there is even the ghost of a tension between you, I’ll snuff the both of you out, raise those young adults, find your beloved-Headmistress-Farah-Dowling and take back Alfea, ALL single-handedly before the next solstice. Am I being thoroughly understood here? -There you go my love. - She added for the girl.

Well, Terra knew which team she would pick in the future finally having a bite of her breakfast. Ms Halcyon wasn’t very old, perhaps more than 30, but she had quite the charisma with her dark blond bowl cut, rosy cheeks, small nose but generous lips, having a proud bearing (even when wrapped in the sofa blanket) and until now a sunny disposition.

\- I was thinking – Vesta added to fill the stunned silence, dropping another lump of sugar in her tea- is there a chance the ex-headmistress private quarters and belongings remained in Alfea?

\- Yes I think it’s a possibility. Actually Rosalind privatised the west building as a more secured location to live.

Vesta snorted at that.

\- If she wanted to be safe she should have stayed in Farah’s underground. Muttered Saul while demolishing another banana.

Were they that famished for raiding their pantry so savagely or was it a coping mechanism? Terra wondered.

\- It’s all here, the door is locked but the windows were easy enough to open. The young woman dropped that nugget of information as if it wasn’t a big deal.

All the adults looked at her bewildered.

\- Please dad don’t, we were careful (somehow it’s a miracle her dad never thought to wrap her in bubble paper she realized now).You know you are not the only ones missing her. And we are not as dumb as we seem: seriously Farah Dowling skiing? Besides being overly dedicated to the job she always overheat our classroom and has a profound affinity for layers of jackets and coats. Definitely a summer person.

\- Terra … said Ben, not ready to decide if he was upset, touched or amused at her rebel child.

\- We didn’t disturb anything, we were looking for her, same as you do. She added pointedly. Golden intel and here was the welcome she was having!

Vesta approached carefully a hand to touch the teenager’s cheek. It would have seem out of place from anyone else, but from her it didn’t.

\- You are a very brave young woman, Terra. Would you like to share the fruit of your discovery so far? It is your hard work after all and a good place to start. I’ll go through Ms Dowling belongings afterwards.

\- I hope you didn’t share our arrival with your friends Terra. Interrupted Saul.

Strangely Ben didn’t say a thing, he adjusted his glasses on his nose.

\- As Ben has probably guessed having raised a bright daughter himself, I’m pretty sure her group knows about us already Willow.

\- How so?

Vesta fixed her blue gaze on the girl, amused. Terra could see the stormy grey, the meadow green and flickers of amber dancing in them with mischief. What a strange fairy she was. Was she a fairy? There was an … extra quality to her that couldn’t be simple charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent. Wait where was that coming from? Ah yes other-side-of-the-barrier Bloom’s culture club. Gosh those men were gorgeous.

\- Because they function like bees my dear. They protect each other, nurture one another, occasionally sting one, and what one knows the whole gets to know it.

\- It’s not unusual for my children to have breakfast in my quarters on a Sunday, however they are usually already texting at this time in the morning. Concluded Ben laughing at the outrage on the teenagers’ face.

Saul considered his options silently for a moment. You could tell by the super rich hot chocolate and the hollow of his face that captivity hadn’t been sweet on him.

\- I trust you and your friends understand the importance of that secret Terra. We cannot get caught. Saul said, his strategist mind already at work.

Vesta nodded silently.

\- But first we need to stay clear of Ben’s quarters, the risk is too high to compromise him. You mentioned the Barrier yesterday Ben. So I take it Rosalind restored some kind of Barrier around Alfea after having depleted the first one?

\- Yes, as she exhausted an important part of its resources it is more of an alerting device than of any protection for the children. She corrupted its true aim somehow. Perhaps it’s not even from our previous Barrier but of a totally different source, I cannot be sure yet. However it seems to change something in the air when someone crosses it. Like the string of a web.

\- No Burned-ones trespassing?

\- Not as of late. Thank goodness for that! Sighed Ben.

\- So they all piled up on our roofs and against our doors days ago but now that the school is stripped of real defences no one shows up? How strange. I’ll find a secured location just before the barrier into the woods. Said Silva bitterly.

\- We didn’t get very far in our investigation Ms Halcyon.

-Vesta, please.

\- Well yes, Vesta, the only thing we are sure of is that Headmistress Dowling has not left Alfea’s grounds that day. We asked several students all over the school, and it seems that besides not having left Alfea’s vicinity, Ms Dowling was sighted going to the woods, with the bodies of the fallen Burned-Ones. Yet when the Queen arrived later she was nowhere to be found.

\- And?

Terra played with her napkin not liking to admit a defeat.

\- We combed the area with the team, and there was no trace of her, or of a fight there. Bloom was beside herself with worry. Later Stella texted me that her mother was far too cheerful about the change of leadership at the school and she didn’t like the sound of that.

At the mention of the lack of fighting evidence Saul blanched even more.

\- Thank you dearest, you’ve helped tremendously. Ben, why would she bring bodies to the woods?

Ben smiled sadly.

\- When Bloom fought the Burned-ones, once dead, they turned back into human beings. Farah couldn’t have let them spread on the ground. She must have wanted to bury them properly.

\- She seems like a very kind heart, this friend of yours. Vesta said tenderly.

\- She is, she is. Said Saul grimly.

\- What about you show me which building it is and I’ll let myself in to see if I can still catch her scent.

\- Catch her scent? Blurted Terra.

\- Yes how do you think I found Mr Silva? Vesta laughed.

\- You… smelled him? In the wind? The girl was between put off and amazed.

\- Oh Willow and I go way back, way back before his days at Alfea, I know his scent. She winked at Mr Silva and he rolled his eyes in answer though he tried to hide a smile.

\- Ms Halcyon is part of the Wind, among other things (he got elbowed for that part). She is a witch, Terra. Explained Saul.

\- A blood witch like in Aster Dell??

Just as Silva said firmly “NO.”, Ben “WHAT?” Vesta raised her voice

\- What rubbish is this! blood witches? Seriously? It’s borderline xenophobia!

\- No Vesta, they were using magic through death and sacrifices. They WERE blood witches. Said Saul both hands raised in an appeasing gesture.

\- Oh so you went there and made sure of the truth of these allegations before calling them that, surely? - There was a dangerous edge in her voice, a low rumble she made.

There was a blank. The rumble intensified. The atmosphere grew heavy and salted.

\- Fair enough, we shouldn't have assumed and we WILL at a later time make researches on the subject. Please Vesta, breathe. Continued Saul softly.

\- Good… (She sighed forcefully.) I apologize. Terra my darling if you would be so kind to show me the building now? Mr Silva is going out to find us shelter and I’m sure your dad has several things to take care of. Sam sweetie …

\- I’ll clean the table. Sam answered spontaneously. Which almost cost his father an aneurysm.

\- Wonderful. Vesta beamed and everyone relaxed.

After Ms Halcyon got ready and exited with Terra, a scarf appeared around Silva’s neck, and a black rain coat zipped itself on his body, hood firmly pushed down on his brow.

Things never changed, Silva thought, a true smile on his lips.

Then something invisible wiped his chocolate mustache.

At his laughing friend, Saul growled

\- Wait for your turn Ben, she liked you, you are in as much trouble as I am.


End file.
